


just like them old stars

by latinxgxddxss



Series: K+L Love Stories [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Canon Universe, Cuban Lance (Voltron), F/F, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Keith (Voltron) Flirts, Korean Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Minor Acxa/Veronica (Voltron), Minor Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Minor Allura/Romelle (Voltron), Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Mutual Pining, Romantic Fluff, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Space Uncle Coran (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2019-12-18 10:16:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18247808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/latinxgxddxss/pseuds/latinxgxddxss
Summary: "You know, you could always wake me up whenever you're not able to sleep. We could train together or even just sit around and do nothing if that's what you needed."Keith freezes and glances at Lance. He's already looking at Keith, a sincere look on his face as if he has no problem at all with Keith waking him up during the middle of the night cycle just because he can't sleep."Do you mean that or are you just messing with me?" Keith has to ask him, just to be sure."I mean it. I wouldn't mind waking up at any hour during the night if it meant I got to spend time with you, Keith," Lance replies. And his voice is so soft, Keith's heart aches in the best way.*****************************A short (and self-indulgent) journey through one of the many happy chapters in the love story of Keith Kogane and Lance McClain.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first time writing VLD fanfiction and I can only hope that I did the characters justice. I was inspired by a lot of things but mostly I just really wanted to write a love story featuring two of my absolute favorite characters ever created: Lance and Keith.
> 
> Also as a side note: the title is a lyric from 'i won't give up' by Jason Mraz and basically every fic in the series is going to be titled after a lyric from that song because it's cute and cheesy and i love it

Homesickness. 

It was a feeling Lance had become very acquainted with since the day he was launched into space to fight in a 10,000-year old war hundreds of lightyears away from Earth. The days had come and gone and still nothing much had really changed; you know, other than the fact that he was now piloting a giant sentient robot lion that had the ability to morph with four other giant robot lions to create one giant, universe-saving robot. 

Yeah, that had taken  _ a while _ to get used to.

Never in his wildest dreams could Lance have imagined that he would one day become a paladin of Voltron and journey through countless universes and galaxies, exploring never-heard-of-before planets with his closest friends. He was happy to be out in space, liberating planets from the tyrannical reign of aliens known as the Galra and being recognized for his heroic deeds. 

After a while though, it did start to take a toll on him. 

Lately, he had begun to feel more homesick than ever before. It was even worse than the time he was accepted into the Garrison and had to move from his family home in Cuba to the Sonoran Desert in the middle of Arizona by himself. The one thing that had kept him going back then was the fact that he knew he would be going back home to his family for the holidays. But out here in space? Putting his life on the line every time he and the rest of the team would go out and fight the Galra? There was no guarantee there at all. There was nothing to guarantee that he would one day be able to go home and be reunited with his mother, or his father, or his siblings or his niece and nephew. There was nothing. 

And it slowly began to eat away at him. 

Month by month, week by week, day by day it ate away at him until it was all he could think about. How many birthdays had he missed? How many anniversaries? How many school plays? How many family reunions? 

Exactly how much had he missed since the moment he flew the Blue Lion into the wormhole that would seal his fate as a Defender of the Universe? 

He so desperately wished he had an answer to all these questions, but he didn’t. Time was funny out here in space. No one knew exactly how to calculate how much time had really passed - not even Pidge. Which isn’t to say she didn’t try her absolute hardest. The first couple of days after the dust settled and they had accepted their positions as paladins, she set out to come up with a device that would tell them more or less the exact date it was back on Earth.

Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of anyone’s control, the device could never be completed and so a disheartened Pidge had given up. No one said it, but they were all a little relieved that it hadn’t been able to work. There was a sense of safety in the fact that they could not know exactly just how much time had passed. A little less sadness, a little less heartbreak. 

But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. And boy oh boy, did it  _ hurt _ . 

Lance was hurt because a large part of him had been seriously hoping Pidge would have been able to succeed. Yet there was a small part buried deep inside him, that filled his mind with the idea that not knowing was a lot better than actually knowing. That constant war in his mind exhausted him. Exhausted him to the point where he began to slip into bad habits. Not sleeping or not sleeping  _ enough _ . Not eating or not eating  _ enough _ . 

It became so bad in fact that Hunk was the first one to confront him about it and try to convince him to talk about his problems.

_ “Lance, I’ve known you for so long I can practically see right through you. I know you’re struggling with something and I would really like for you to talk to someone about it. Heck, it doesn’t even have to be me if you don’t want it to be, but just...promise me you’ll find someone to let it all out with, okay? I love you buddy and I can’t stand to see you this way.”  _

_ “Yeah, I know and I love you too, man. I promise I won’t hold it all in.” _

_ “That’s all I’m asking for.” _

Of course, Lance didn’t want to disappoint Hunk but he had just never really been the type to burden others with his own personal problems. He preferred to be the type of person who others would seek out for advice, not the other way around. Maybe it had something to do with the way he grew up or maybe it had to do with his own insecurities, but Lance never wanted to seem like a bother. Sure he knew he could be loud and maybe a little annoying at times but it was just something he was used to doing in order to receive attention from others. Coming from a big family and being the youngest of five kids had taught him that to be noticed, you had to be loud and you had to be funny. 

So he set about creating an image of himself that he thought people would like: the jokester, the loverboy, the class clown. Lo and behold, his plan had worked. People had begun to recognize him as the guy who could make just about anyone laugh no matter what mood they may be in. It’s what had drawn Hunk into him and made him become best friends with Lance. It’s what had Pidge become friends with him when she, Hunk, and Lance had been chosen to be a team back at Garrison. It’s what had charmed Coran into basically adopting him as a nephew. It’s what had Shiro in a better mood when the nightmares about what the Galra had done to him rendered him unable to sleep. It’s what had Allura smiling and laughing when she was feeling particularly depressed about the loss of her home and family.

It’s what had allowed Keith to let down some of his walls around Lance and let him see just who he really was on the inside. 

Keith was perhaps unlike anyone Lance had ever known. For one, he had a mullet. Which reasonably sane person would consciously choose to style their hair in a way that hadn’t been popular since the ’70s? It just didn't make any sense. Although - and Lance would never say this aloud to anyone - Keith’s outdated hairstyle really did suit him. The way his choppy bangs framed his face accentuated the already prominent features that showcased Keith as a very attractive person. The longer hair in the back flowed almost effortlessly whenever they were training and more often than not, it caught Lance off-guard at just how truly  _ pretty _ Keith was. 

For another, Keith was seriously into conspiracy theories. Lance had lost count at the number of times he had walked in to find Keith and Pidge in the middle of a very serious discussion on cryptids, ghosts, and the like. Though he supposed it shouldn’t be all that surprising considering it was all thanks to Keith and his conspiracies that they were able to find the Blue Lion in the middle of the desert and make their way into space. 

Another thing that baffled him about Keith was the way he would frequently seek Lance out - almost like he enjoyed spending time with him and him alone. Lance couldn’t deny that he felt his heart do a little jump whenever Keith sought him out personally to train or to just hang out and do nothing at all. It was these moments that had led to Lance developing feelings for the red paladin.

Take into consideration a night like this one: where Lance, feeling like he was drowning in a sea of homesickness, chose to sneak out of his room during the night cycle of the castle ship and make his way over to the observation deck. 

Looking out at all of the stars really helped to calm him down and bring him a sense of peace, even though he couldn’t recognize any of the constellations in whatever galaxy they were currently in. He figured that since all stars were made up of the same elements, it shouldn’t be too weird to think of them as a nice little reminder of the home he had left behind.

He sits down in front of one of the larger windows. A blue blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a pillow held close to his chest.

It was nice and quiet, though a little too quiet right now. More often than not, Keith would join Lance on the observation deck and allow him to ramble on and on with stories about home and his family. He suspected Keith enjoyed listening to him talk about these things almost as much as Lance enjoyed talking about them. It seemed to have a positive effect on both of them; Lance would tell stories that brought him nothing but joy and in turn, Keith had the chance to learn more about Lance’s family. 

As if summoned by Lance’s thoughts of him, Keith appears from the corner of his eye, similarly wrapped up in his own blanket with a pillow hanging from his side.

“What’s up, man?” Lance says as Keith makes his way over to him. “Couldn’t sleep either, huh?”

“Something like that,” Keith murmurs, settling down in the spot next to Lance. Close, but not too close. Lance watches him as he places the pillow on the ground first then sits atop it, moving to secure the blanket around himself better. 

_ It’s cute,_ Lance thinks, watching Keith get comfortable and look utterly adorable with his slightly messed up bedhead and wrinkly pajamas from having been slept in. 

__

“Anything in particular that’s not letting you sleep?” Lance questions.

__

“Nah, it’s just one of those nights where my brain doesn’t seem to want to shut off. How about you?”

__

“Oh you know, just feeling homesick is all. Nothing I’m unfamiliar with anyway.” Lance shrugs, shuffling himself just a tad bit closer to Keith. It was a little chilly on the observation deck and the blanket he had brought with him leaned more towards the thin side, so he was hoping to maybe seek out a little warmth from the hot-headed boy next to him. 

__

But really, he just wanted to be close to Keith.

__

“Hey, why don’t you tell me some more stories about your family? I could really go for another story about how you and Rachel would drive your family crazy with all the pranks you two would pull on April Fool’s Day.” 

__

Lance cracks a small smile, already making a list of all the things he could tell Keith about one of his and Rachel’s favorite holidays.

__

“Well, if you insist...” 

__

“Yeah, I do insist. Those are some of my favorite stories.”

__

Lance pauses and turns his head to look at Keith, who is smiling warmly at him. His cheeks heat up and he clears his throat, shooting Keith a small smile before turning away to look out at the stars again. He hears Keith chuckle lowly and feels him move even closer. Lance’s heart is beating wildly but he forces himself to take a deep breath and start talking. 

__

“Well, this one time Rachel had the brilliant idea to change all the family photos in the house to pictures of Jeff Goldblum photoshopped riding on the backs of various dinosaurs -”

__

“Why Jeff Goldblum though?” Keith interrupts him. 

__

Lance shoots him an exasperated look. 

__

“Uh, because he’s insanely attractive and a style icon?”

__

Keith lets out a soft snort of disbelief. “Sure, okay.”

__

“He is!”

__

“Okay, okay. I believe you.” Keith lifts his hands in mock surrender, prompting Lance to giggle.

__

“Good, you better. When we get back to Earth remind me to show you those pictures. They were really well done for someone with little to no photography skills.”

__

“Are you talking about yourself or Rachel?”

__

“Rachel of course. My photography skills are amazing.”

__

“Hmm, I’m not sure if I believe you,” Keith teases him with a small smile on his face.

__

Lance gasps dramatically, turning his body and reaching out with one hand to swat at Keith, who manages to block the hit and seize Lance’s hand in his own. Their eyes meet and for the life of him, Lance can't seem to look away. Yet neither, it seemed, could Keith. There was something that they were both seeing in the other’s eyes that was making it near impossible to tear their gazes away. Keith wasn’t making a move to let go of Lance’s hand and so they both kept holding on. 

__

Ignoring the way his face is heating up, Lance continues on. “I’ll have you know that my photo taking abilities are legendary. I take the best pictures  _ and _ the best selfies. You can ask anyone.”

__

“Sure, but I bet it’s really easy to take selfies when you have a face like yours.”

__

They both go still once more, Keith’s words sinking in and echoing all around them. Neither of them making any effort to move or disentangle their hands, instead choosing to stay exactly where they are, staring into each other's eyes and feeling some sort of tension build between them. 

__

For a while, no one speaks until -

__

“Well, for the record, I think you would take really good selfies, too.”

__

Lance’s words seem extra heavy in the silence of the night. It was as if the whole world was holding in its breath to listen in on their conversation. 

__

“Maybe you could put your photography skills to good use and take a nice picture of the both of us to show your family when we reach Earth.”

__

Keith’s voice is quiet, practically a whisper that Lance has to strain to hear. There’s a sense of longing in Keith’s tone of voice that Lance is able to recognize clearly. He swallows down the nervous lump in his throat and he knows Keith can feel the way his hands twitch slightly in his grasp. As if in response, Keith’s hold on him tightens.

__

“Maybe I will. Although,” Lance whispers. “I don’t think I want to torture them with photographic evidence of your horrific mullet seeing as they’ll be looking at the real thing in person soon.”

__

There was a pause in which Lance takes the time to watch a smile form on Keith’s face - and did he mention how very beautiful Keith was? Because that seems like a very important thing that should be mentioned at any given opportunity and especially now, with the way the low light of the observation deck seems to be focused intently on creating a halo of sorts around Keith’s head. His eyes twinkle beautifully and the dark violet of his irises seems to shine brighter than ever before. Lance wishes he had a camera in his possession so he could capture exactly just how  _ ethereal _ Keith looks at this exact moment in time.

__

“I can’t believe how easily you’ve managed to ruin such a nice moment between us,” Keith laughs, eyes closed and shaking his head in mild disbelief. Lance observes the way his chest rises and falls with each breath of laughter. His heart flutter at the sight.

__

“Ruining nice moments between us is pretty much my specialty,” he says absentmindedly.

__

“Trust me, I know, Lance. I still haven’t forgiven you for  _ ‘forgetting’ _ our bonding moment.” Keith sends him a look that is very clearly meant to be one of displeasure but the smile on his face betrays him.

__

“I swear to you that I  _ genuinely _ cannot remember that,” Lance retaliates. 

__

“And  _ I _ swear to  _ you _ that I am going to force Hunk and Pidge to come up with a device that can show you that  _ forgotten memory." _

__

They both fall into a fit of laughter at that, leaning forward and closer to one another than before. Their movements causing their blankets to fall from their shoulders, pooling into a crumpled mess on the ground behind them. Sometime between their laughter, their hands became laced together and soon come to rest upon Keith’s lap.

__

“Well,” Lance says giggling softly, reaching up with his free hand to rub at his eyes, “this has been fun but I think it’s time we went to bed. What say you, Keith?"

__

“I hate to say I agree with you, but I do.”

__

Keith yawns loudly, moving to stand and drawing Lance up with him. They gather their discarded pillows and blankets and make the long walk back to their rooms in silence. Their intertwined hands swinging almost casually back-and-forth between them as they walk. It was only until they had reached the hallway in which their rooms were located did they let go of one another, a blush overtaking both of their faces as they stepped away from one another.

__

“So,” Lance says, rubbing the back of his head in mild embarrassment. “Goodnight samurai.”

__

“Night sharpshooter.”

__

Keith sends Lance a small smile that he promptly returns before opening his bedroom door and stepping inside the dimly lit room. The last thing he sees is Keith’s somewhat reddened face staring back at him as the door slides shut.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed reading this please feel free to leave comments and/or kudos!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter a few days before I originally had planned to update! I was going to upload this second chapter either on Sunday or Monday but then I remembered that I have quite a bit of homework to catch up on before Monday so *shrug* here it is today instead. I've also decided that I am going to try to update every Saturday, starting today! So the next chapter should be up on the 6th of April!

The main thing that had captivated Keith about Lance was the way the blue paladin seemed to understand him in a way not many people ever had before. He was able to read Keith like a book; knowing how to interpret the deeper meanings of words said and left unsaid. He knew when Keith was in a bad mood and knew just what to do to cheer him up or distract him. He understood when Keith needed space after spending too much time around people and he reassured him when he began to feel overwhelmed in his duties as a paladin. He offered advice whenever Keith asked for it and kept him grounded when it felt like the world was threatening to swallow him whole. Lance was essentially his saving grace in a way; keeping him safe from harm and protected from the bad thoughts that would sometimes consume him.

Keith wasn’t an idiot, he knew exactly what all that meant.

Now, people liked to assume that he was emotionally constipated but the truth was that Keith was a very intuitive person and he knew how to interpret his own feelings. Likewise, he understood the differences between a simple crush and love. He had had a few crushes on other boys at the Garrison but he had never sought out a relationship with any of them. Not for any specific reason, it was just not really something he was interested in at the time. Now, though, it was something he would very much like to pursue.

When Keith first began to realize his feelings for Lance, he took comfort in the fact that maybe his crush on him would soon fade away into oblivion.

Unfortunately for him, that never happened. If anything, his crush developed into something far greater than he could have ever thought possible as he began to get to know Lance better. His heart would begin to race at the mere sight of Lance and his brain became muddled with thoughts of him. His mind conjured up romantic fantasies of the both of them happy and living out the rest of their lives together back on Earth surrounded by the other paladins, the Alteans, and their families - or in this case, Lance’s family. Although, if he was allowing himself to be hopeful, he would conjure up a daydream of one day starting his own family with Lance; that always put him in a good mood.

Keith knew he couldn’t keep all of this to himself forever. He had long ago accepted the fact that he would have to eventually confess to Lance and live with the consequences.

Best case scenario: Lance reciprocates his feelings and they end up in a very loving relationship that would eventually lead to marriage and a family.

Worst case scenario: Lance rejects him, their friendship takes a serious hit, they’re unable to form Voltron and they get destroyed by the Galra.

Keith lets out a loud groan muffled by the pillow in which his face is buried in just as his bedroom door slides open and Shiro walks in. He takes one look at Keith, who is currently lying face down on his bed, and huffs out a small laugh.

“You doing okay there, Keith?” he asks, amusement clear in his voice.

Keith turns his head to the side in time to see Shiro take a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Peachy,” he grumbles.

Shiro laughs again. “What’s got you so moody?”

“Lance.”

“Did something happen?” Shiro’s space dad instincts were instantly activated at the thought of something causing a rift between the red and blue paladins.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.”

“Well, which is it?”

“I don’t know.”

“That certainly clears things up.”

Keith groans again and turns over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He sighs and mentally prepares himself for Shiro’s teasing when Keith reveals just how fond his feelings are for Lance.

“I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me you won’t say anything to anyone or else I’ll be forced to use my blade to kill you.”

“Oh, so this is _deadly serious?_ ”

“ _Shiro._ Please.” Keith all but whines.

“Alright, alright, calm down. Now, what is it you want to tell me?”

Bracing himself, Keith blurts out, “I have feelings for Lance. As in, I’m pretty sure I love him. Actually, you know what? Scratch that. I know I’m in love with him.”

It’s quiet for a moment, and Keith sneaks a peek at Shiro who does not seem to be surprised by his confession at all. In fact, he almost looks as if he’s trying not to smile.

“Can I just say that I am really glad I decided to check up on you after you missed breakfast? Because this is gold. Akira! You’re in love! And with Lance! I couldn’t be happier for you!” Shiro shouts, leaning forward to hug Keith who is still laying on his back.

“Cut the embarrassing brother act Takashi and listen to me, okay?” he says, once Shiro has stopped suffocating him. “How is this a good thing? I’m in love! With _Lance!_ A guy who up until a few months ago I thought hated me!”

“He certainly doesn’t seem to hate you _now._ ”

Keith sighs once more and looks at Shiro. He’s still smiling brightly, as though Keith’s confession was the best thing he had ever heard.

“I know he doesn’t hate me, but that’s not my biggest concern right now.” Keith looks away from his brother and closes his eyes, feeling ashamed at what he was about to say.

“Okay, so what is your biggest concern?”

“Allura.”

“Allura?” Shiro asks puzzled.

“Yeah.”

“Why are you so worried about Allura?”

“Because I think Lance may still be in love with her.”

Shiro pauses, a contemplative look on his face. “What makes you think that Lance is in love with her?”

Keith opens his eyes and shoots him an unimpressed look.

“Are you serious? He’s been pining after her and flirting with her since the moment we met her!”

“Is that it?”

“Well, yeah,” Keith says hesitantly.

Shiro laughs once more.

_What a jerk_ , Keith thinks, glaring at him.

“Keith, my brother, I love you but you’re an idiot.”

With a huff, Keith throws a pillow right at Shiro’s face. He scowls in disappointment as Shiro manages to swat it away just before it hits him.

“Be nice to me, I’m wallowing in unrequited love.”

“Oh don’t be so dramatic. Besides, I don’t think it’s as unrequited as you believe it to be,” Shiro says casually, picking at a loose thread on the blanket, eyes downcast and avoiding Keith’s.

That has Keith sitting up, turning his head to one side and narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

“What do you mean?” he asks cautiously.

“I mean that if flirting with Allura constantly is all it takes for you to believe that Lance is in love with her, then she’s not the only one he’s in love with.”

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me.”

Keith can feel his mouth hanging open and quickly shuts it, swallowing nervously.

“I heard you but I don’t think I get what you’re saying,” he says honestly.

“I think you do but you’re just afraid to admit it.”

There’s a lengthy silence in which neither Shiro nor Keith speak for quite some time. Shiro is waiting patiently, it seems, for Keith to fully take in his words. To his credit, Keith doesn’t immediately freak out when he finally makes sense of Shiro’s implication.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asks slowly.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On what it is you think I’m saying.”

“I think you’re trying to tell me that Lance might have feelings for me too.”

“Bingo!” Shiro cheers loudly, throwing his hands up in the air. Keith just shakes his head and falls back onto the bed. His gloved hands come up to cover his face.

“Well don’t celebrate too hard, Shiro, I’m not even sure if I fully believe you.”

Shiro sighs. “That’s on you, Keith, but I know what I’m talking about and soon you’ll see it too.”

With that, Shiro gets up from his spot on the bed, pats Keith on the knee and walks out of the room, leaving Keith alone with his thoughts.

*  
*  
*  
*  
*  
*

The night after his talk with Shiro, Keith finds himself mindlessly wandering the halls of the castle with no real destination in mind. He had been in the training room fighting his way through various gladiator levels when he finally decided to take a break to cool off. It had been a long day and he wanted nothing more than to curl up in his bed and sleep for the next 10 hours. But he felt too awake. Too restless.

Maybe he should see if Lance was awake as well and with any luck, the two of them could have another nice long talk. With that thought in mind, Keith sets out to look for Lance on the observation deck, his hurried footsteps echoing eerily in the empty hallways.

_Who knows_ , Keith thinks to himself, _maybe tonight will be the night I finally tell Lance how I feel about him._

As he reaches the entrance to the deck he hears the soft murmurs of voices speaking quietly in the night. Feeling curious, he comes to a stop just outside the doorway and listens closely.

“Man, I can’t wait until we reach Earth.”

Lance’s voice, full of longing and hope, brings a smile to Keith’s face but it slowly fades away as the second person speaks.

“What are you most excited about doing first?”

Allura is on the deck with Lance.

She’s on the deck with Lance and talking with him about his plans for when they finally reach Earth.

She’s on the deck with Lance and they’re having the same kind of conversation Keith loved to have with Lance.

It hurt just the tiniest bit.

“First things first, I’m going to hug my mom for at least a full day. Or maybe longer actually. I’ve really missed her. Obviously, I’ve missed the rest of my family too but my mom has always had a special place in my heart.”

“I know exactly how you feel. Although, I was a lot closer to my father than my mother. We had so many wonderful things in common. My father was a kind man and it didn’t matter that he was a king, he always made time for the people he cared about the most.”

Keith’s heart clenches in his chest. He considers going back to the training deck to avoid eavesdropping even more on this private conversation but Lance speaks again - and his voice is a magnetic pull keeping him in place, rendering him unable to move.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you sad or anything by bringing up family.”

“It’s okay Lance, really. I must admit, speaking with you about my mother and father has helped me in more ways that I can imagine.”

Keith takes a deep breath and peaks his head into the doorway of the observation deck.

Lance and Allura are sitting on the steps, both staring out of one of the many windows to look at the vast sea of stars visible from their spot on the stairs. They’re sitting close enough that their shoulders touch and Keith hates the way that makes him feel.

“I’m really glad I could help you, Allura. I know none of this has been easy on you and I admire the way you’re able to keep going even after losing everything you’ve ever known. You’re incredibly strong. I really don’t know how you do it.”

Allura’s voice is a little sad as she responds. “My father would not want me to allow grief to hold me back from being the best leader I can possibly be.”

Lance hums and then they’re both quiet for a moment, basking in the silence as they continue to look at the stars. Keith holds his breath when he notices the way Lance begins to shift nervously, clearly wanting to say something but unsure of how to begin.

“Allura? Can we...talk about something?”

“Of course, Lance. What is it?”

“First, I just wanna tell you how much you mean to me. I know we’ve only known each other for a pretty short amount of time but you’ve really become one of my closest friends. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Keith can feel the way his heart is rapidly beating in his chest, almost as if it’s wanting to burst right out and launch itself out of the airlock. Lance sounds so sincere and so... _tender_. He doesn’t think he’s ever heard Lance sound this way before, but now Lance is speaking like that and to Allura. Jealousy courses through his veins but he forces himself to remain calm. Lance and Allura are friends, he shouldn't be feeling this way.

But he is.

And he hates it.

“That means a lot, Lance. Thank you.”

“Second, I know the way I act around you sometimes can get really annoying so I wanted to apologize. The flirting is just kind of my way of trying to make you laugh, it’s not necessarily a means to actually hit on you.”

“While I appreciate the apology, I don’t really think it’s all that necessary. I often times find myself being amused by your seemingly endless desire to get me to go out with you.”

“I knew you never really hated it!”

Allura giggles cheerfully at Lance’s words and he grins so wide his face looks like it might split in two. In spite of his jealousy, Keith thinks it’s one of the nicest sights he’s ever seen. He’s so used to seeing Allura in business-mode during paladin meetings that he finds himself pleasantly surprised at just how, for lack of a better word, _youthful_ she looks. He supposes though that she must have been very close to his age when the Galra destroyed Altea all those thousands of years ago.

“While we’re on that topic, I wanted to clear the air. I know everyone seems to think, and with good reason I guess, that I have feelings for you but well, that’s kinda not true at all. Or at least, not anymore. Like I said before, you’re one of my closest friends and I do love you, but I’m not in love with you. I’m actually - uh, I have feelings for - for someone else at the moment.”

Keith lets out a small gasp and quickly places his hand over his mouth to stifle the noise, turning himself around so he’s fully hidden, lest he’s caught snooping. He certainly was not expecting that to come out of Lance’s mouth.

Lance is not in love with Allura.

Lance does not have any feelings for Allura (anymore).

Lance has feelings for someone else.

But who?

Keith’s head is so filled with all these thoughts that he nearly misses Allura’s response. He steadies himself and listens closely once more.

“Well, Lance, I’m certainly grateful you have decided to let me know. You are my friend and I care for you deeply but I would have had to turn you down had you actually still had feelings for me. I’m sorry but I do not think I could ever get past those hideous ears of yours.”

Lance chuckles good-naturedly at her comment - clearly not surprised - but he offers no comeback, instead, allowing Allura to continue speaking.

“I am happy you felt comfortable enough to confide in me your feelings for this other person. I hope they, unlike me, reciprocate your feelings and that you two are able to be happy together.”

“Thank you, Allura. I have a good feeling about it so I hope you’re right. Only time will tell.”

“Well, I best be going back to my room now. It is quite late and I am starting to feel tired. Will you be going back to your room as well?”

_Please say you’ll be staying_ , Keith thinks.

“I think I will soon, but I want to keep looking at the stars for a little bit longer. Good night, Allura.”

“Good night, Lance.”

Keith hears the shuffling of Allura getting up and beginning to walk towards the doorway when he realizes that he cannot allow her to see him. Allura’s footsteps were getting closer and closer. Keith decides to duck behind one of the pillars beside the door, flattening himself against the wall as she passes without so much of a glance. He waits until he can no longer see or hear her to let out a small sigh. He shakes his head slightly and chances a glance inside the control room.

Lance had moved from his spot on the stairs to sit in front of the window where he and Keith would hold most of their conversations. Just that simple act sends a happy thrill throughout his body and he begins to walk inside the observation deck until he’s standing right beside Lance.

“Hi.”

Lance turns his head and looks up at Keith, a pleased smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes.

_Man, I am in so deep_ , Keith thinks, practically turning to space goo as he stares into Lance’s brown eyes.

“Hey,” Lance says as Keith sits down next to him. “Thought you were already asleep?”

“I was, but then I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep so I went to the training deck. And well, now I’m here with you.” He doesn’t mention seeing Allura but he’s not expecting Lance to say anything about that either.

Lance snorts. “I’m not even the least bit surprised that you were training instead of trying to sleep.”

“So I like to train, so what? Beats tossing and turning all night,” Keith grumbles.

“You know, you could always wake me up whenever you’re not able to sleep. We could train together or even just sit around and do nothing if that’s what you needed.”

Keith freezes and glances at Lance. He’s already looking at Keith, a sincere look on his face as if he has no problem at all with Keith waking him up during the middle of the night cycle just because he can’t sleep.

“Do you mean that or are you just messing with me?” Keith has to ask him, just to be sure.

“I mean it. I wouldn’t mind waking up at any hour during the night if it meant I got to spend time with you, Keith,” Lance replies. And his voice is so soft, Keith’s heart aches in the best way.

Keith thinks it’s a quiznacking miracle he hasn’t spontaneously combusted yet with the way Lance was looking at him. Shiro’s words echo in his mind, taunting him and filling his heart with false hope.

Although, it didn’t seem like false hope right now. He already knows Lance has feelings for someone and really, the only other person he flirts with besides Allura is Keith. So, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to believe that maybe Lance likes him too.

“I wouldn’t mind that either. I like your company, you’re really easy to be around,” Keith tells him honestly.

Lance tilts his head and asks, “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean,” Keith pauses to let his thoughts accumulate. “You give off a comforting and calming vibe that people easily pick up on. You have this thing about you that makes people feel supported and protected. I really like that I can be myself around you and that you never judge me for doing things in my own way. Well, I mean, you tease me about some things sure but it’s done out of affection almost, never out of true anger or annoyance. You also make me feel really safe, and I’m not just talking about when we’re out fighting against the Galra. So yeah, Lance, I like being around you and spending time with you.”

Keith lets out a deep breath. It felt really nice to let all of that out. He almost feels like he’s said too much when Lance doesn’t respond - but then he notices the way Lance’s eyes had widened and his cheeks had become red like the color of candy apples. _It’s a nice color on him_ , Keith thinks, trying his best to memorize the way Lance looks under the light of a million stars.

“Wow, uh, thank you for - for all of that. It means a lot. Especially coming from you. And I’m happy you feel that way because well, I feel like that too. About you, I mean.”

Lance’s flustered stuttering somehow makes him seem even more appealing and Keith is just about ready to burst. It should be illegal for someone as handsome and as charming as Lance to be so sweet and so thoughtful as well; Keith's poor heart can’t take much more of this.

He feels the way his cheeks had heat up with Lance’s words and smiles tentatively. Lance does too. They’re both quiet for a moment, taking in the views of the stars out in space and of each other.

Tension begins to build between them once more, just like it had a couple of nights before, but neither of them reacts; both hesitant to make a move in spite of the words they had just shared. Somehow they both understood that tonight was not the night for their budding romance to blossom.

Lance breaks the silence first. “It’s pretty late. Maybe we should head on back to our rooms and call it night.”

“Sure.”

Both boys rise from their respective spots on the floor and begin to make their way to their bedrooms. Their hands naturally gravitate towards each other as they walk and before long they are intertwined and swinging gently between them. Keith says nothing; Lance doesn’t either. They merely stroll along in silence, one of them gently squeezing their interlocked hands whilst the other tightens his grip in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter from Keith's POV! I'm going to be alternating back and forth between Lance's POV and Keith's so the next chapter is going to be from Lance's POV! 
> 
> Hope y'all are ready for the appearance of a flirty!Keith and flustered!Lance *eye emoji*
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Also, subscribe if you want to be notified of when this fic is updated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading this new chapter instead of working on homework because I am a disaster. 
> 
> There was a time when I was actually excited at the thought of being in college,,,,, those days are long gone now.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy some flirty!Keith and flustered!Lance! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter so I hope everyone finds it as amusing as I do! I like to imagine that while Lance is a big flirt, he actually gets kinda shy when someone flirts with him in return and who better to make loverboy Lance a flustered mess than Keith?

Lance feels like his chest might soon burst.

Ever since the night he had that talk with Allura and Keith had appeared afterward, things between the two of them had become more flirty than ever. Keith was slowly becoming more and more publicly forthcoming with his affections, staring at Lance unashamedly and praising him whenever possible. Lance was used to the Keith that would rebuke his flirtatious comments, not the Keith that would confidently hit on him and make sly passing remarks towards him. It was a jarring change, but one that Lance had come to appreciate. When he wasn’t acting like a lovestruck fool that is.

“Did you see how red Lance turned when Keith called him a hotshot with an emphasis on ‘ _hot_ ’? I was getting ready to see smoke coming out of his ears.”

Pidge’s teasing comment has Lance snapping out of his thoughts. He’s sitting atop one of the counters next to the weird Altean oven in the kitchen, legs swinging back-and-forth and absentmindedly playing with the phone Pidge had made him a few months ago. Pidge, meanwhile, sat on the floor with her laptop carefully balanced on her knees surrounded by seemingly random electronic devices.

“Smoke coming out of the ears while a train whistle sounds off in the distance and face as red as a tomato,” Hunk adds, hands busy kneading the cookie dough he had just made. “He seriously looked like a character in an animated T.V. show who’s crush just told them that they loved them.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking!”

Hunk and Pidge break out into a fit of laughter at that, their laughs mocking Lance as he continues to sit in silence. He couldn’t think of a way to defend himself from the two as they both knew of his _secret-yet-not-so-secret_ crush on Keith. He had told Hunk first, of course, and Pidge being Pidge had figured it out long before Lance had even realized it for himself. Those two together were a force to be reckoned with, teasing Lance about his feelings for Keith and sending him amused looks whenever they were all in the same room together.

“Alright, alright,” he says loudly, interrupting their laughter. “Can we stop laughing at my embarrassment for one minute and focus on something else?”

“Like what?” Hunk asks. He’s sobered up and beginning to shape the cookie dough into perfectly rounded circles. His hands were careful and methodical, treating the dough as if it were some sort of delicate thing he had to protect.

“Yeah, Lance, like what?”

Pidge stands up and attempts to sneak a taste of the raw cookie dough. Hunk smacks her hand away and she glares at him, retreating and holding her wounded hand against her chest.

“I don’t know. Anything but jokes on how I look when I’m embarrassed,” Lance complains, throwing his hands up in the air and nearly dropping his phone on the floor.

He reaches for it just as another hand darts forward, catching it just before it hits the ground. Lance slowly lifts his head and freezes in place as he makes eye contact with the owner of the most beautiful eyes he has ever seen in his life - _Keith._ When he walked into the kitchen, Lance didn’t know. The boy moves like a cat, always sneaking around and showing up when you least expect it. It’s probably the Galra in him, Lance thinks.

“I’ve always thought you’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” Keith says.

And then he winks.

Lance feels his mouth run dry and he quickly smacks it shut when he realizes he’s been openly gaping at Keith. He swallows down a lump and tries to stammer out a response while also jumping down from the counter but in his haste, he miscalculates and ends up face-planting on the floor in front of Keith instead.

“Oh my god, _Lance!_ ”

“Dude!”

“Ha ha!”

Lance groans in embarrassment and hopes that the floor he’s currently laying on is not as dirty as he thinks it is. He feels two strong yet gentle hands slip under his arms to help him up and he only has a few seconds to register the red and white coloring of clothing before he comes face-to-face with none other than Keith.

Once again Lance is held captive by the way Keith is looking at him and he takes a second to thank all the many gods and goddesses in the world for creating something as beautiful as Keith Kogane’s eyes.

“Hi,” Lance says meekly, feeling mortified at the fact that he just embarrassed himself _yet again_ in front of his crush.

“Hey there.” Keith has a smirk on his face as he responds to Lance. “I believe you quite literally just fell for me.”

 _Oh, quiznack_.

Lance didn’t know how much more of this flirting he could take. Keith was probably going to kill him with all this attention and Lance was probably going to like it.

“That was not my intention,” he manages to squeak out.

“That’s a shame."

Lance finds his gaze drawn to Keith’s lips, all plush and pink and pursed into the cutest pout. When he realizes he’s been staring for far too long and hasn’t replied, he quickly glances up and notices the way Keith had gone faintly pink. The rose-colored hue of the blush complimenting his pale skin and deep violet eyes.

“This is the greatest thing I have ever seen in my life,” Pidge declares. She’s snickering into her hands along with Hunk, both looking far too amused for Lance’s liking.

Lance tenses as he remembers that they are not alone in the kitchen and quickly shakes himself free from Keith’s embrace, immediately missing the warmth of his body against his own. Keith lets his hands fall, running them down Lance’s side as he does so and allowing them to linger for a second near his hands before pulling them away completely. Lance’s skin tingles at the contact and he resists the urge to take hold of Keith’s hand and lace their fingers together as they do so frequently after one of their many late-night talks.

“Keith, stop trying to kill my best friend,” Hunk scolds him. But it’s half-hearted, and not at all serious in nature.

Keith merely raises an eyebrow at his words and chuckles at the ground.

“But it's so fun to watch him squirm why should he stop?” Pidge asks. She has a teasing smile plastered on her face and seems to be trying to hold in her laughter, though she isn’t doing that great of a job at it. Lance huffs at her tone and chooses to ignore her.

“Anyway,” Keith says, turning away from Lance to face the others. “Back to what I came in here to tell you three. Coran is insisting that we have a movie night tonight. Apparently, he and Allura found a box of old Altean classics and they want all of us to watch them together. Shiro is obviously on board because of ‘team-bonding’ and all that.”

Hunk and Pidge visibly brighten at the idea and Lance can’t deny that he’s excited at the prospect of watching old Altean movies too. It would be a great chance to learn more about Altea’s culture.

“That actually sounds like a great idea!” Hunk exclaims. “These cookies will be ready in an hour or so and I can try to make popcorn or something to go with!”

“Ooh, that sounds good!” Pidge says, bouncing lightly on her toes.

“Great!” says Lance. “Keith, tell the others that we’ll bring the snacks over to the rec room when they’re ready.”

“Will do.”

Keith is almost at the doorway when he turns back around and focuses his gaze on Lance, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Oh, and Lance? One last thing before I go.”

“What’s up?” he asks, confusion clear in his voice. Hunk and Pidge exchange glances and look on with great interest as the scene unfolds in front of them.

“Try not to fall for anyone else while I’m gone. Wouldn’t want any competition for your affection but I’ll fight for it if I have to.”

As soon as the words leave his mouth Keith sends another wink Lance’s way and quickly disappears behind the _whoosh_ of the closing sliding doors.

Lance is frozen in place as Keith’s words bounce around in his head and his thoughts are muddled. The only clear thing he can make out from them is -

“What the _quiznack_ was that?”

“ _Oh my god,”_ Pidge cackles loudly.

 _“Holy quiznack,_ Keith is so _smooth_ ,” Hunk gushes.

“ _Smooth_?” says Pidge incredulously, a shit-eating grin adorning her face. “He could say anything and Lance would dissolve into a puddle after doing something stupid and humiliating himself.”

Lance wants to open his mouth and defend himself but he’s still reeling from Keith’s latest pick-up line and can’t find it in himself to do anything but stare hopelessly at the kitchen doors from which Keith had left through.

“You do have a point there,” Hunk reluctantly agrees.

“Keith Kogane is a morosexual, hashtag confirmed,” Pidge giggles. “Exclusively attracted to dumbasses.”

Lance is finally able to pry his mouth open and speak. “I would take offense to that but I don’t think there’s anything I could say that would prove you wrong.”

“You’re right. There isn’t.”

There’s a short bout of laughter before anyone speaks again.

“Lance’s love life aside, let’s get to cooking!” Hunk says enthusiastically, turning his back to them so he can continue shaping the dough still on the counter. Pidge follows along, clearly hoping for another chance to sneak a taste of the dough.

“Yes!” Lance says at once. “Let’s do that instead!”

“Oh, boo,” Pidge says, picking up a handful of what looks like green popcorn kernels and tossing them in Lance’s direction. He is able to duck and capture them in his mouth instead of being hit, chewing thoughtfully on them for a moment before promptly spitting them out when the sour taste of the weird kernels becomes too intense.

“Let’s maybe avoid those for now.”

 

*

*

*

*

*

*

 

In the rec room on the other side of the castleship, Shiro and Keith are busy installing the Altean projector Coran had found to the T.V. they had set up. Different colored blankets were folded neatly on the couches and there was a bundle of pillows right next to them - all courtesy of Allura and the many closets scattered around the ship.

“Keith, if you keep this flirting up you’re going to kill Lance before you have a chance to ask him out on a date.”

Keith turns to Shiro and scoffs a little, holding onto the wires that were supposed to connect the projector to the T.V. “I’m just trying to make him as flustered as he makes me.”

“Well, it’s working,” Shiro remarks. He seems to be having trouble following along to the instruction manual because there’s a scowl on his face. He sighs dramatically and tosses the manual onto the nearest seat. Keith snickers and shakes his head. Shiro was never one for being patient - despite his own personal mantra about ‘patience yielding focus’.

“I know,” he says. “Isn’t it great?”

“I have to admit, it certainly is very entertaining.”

“Almost about as entertaining as watching you fail at setting up a projector,” Keith laughs. “How about we wait until Coran comes back to finish this?”

Shiro sighs dejectedly but nods in agreement. “Ugh, you’re right. There’s no way we can do this without his help.”

They move away from the T.V. and sit on one of the many couches instead. Shiro takes the opportunity to make himself comfortable, wrapping himself up in a silver blanket and fluffing up a pillow to put behind his neck. Keith thinks he looks a bit ridiculous - like an overgrown child trying to warm himself up. Which, all things considered, is basically the case as Shiro was born on a leap year. A fact that Keith enjoys using to tease his brother.

“Hey, where is Coran anyway? I didn’t see him when I walked in.”

“He and Allura are looking through the box of movies to choose which ones we should watch first.” Shiro’s answer comes out muffled as his face is partially covered up by the blanket.

“I wonder what the movies are gonna be like,” Keith thinks out loud. “We don’t really know much about Altean culture, which is sad because I bet it’s really fascinating. I just always feel uncomfortable bringing it up because I don’t want to make Allura or Coran feel bad.”

“I know what you mean.” Shiro nods along. “I was thinking about asking Coran if he would be okay with teaching me about Altea’s culture and customs but I’d feel a little weird about it.”

“Oh, Shiro. It would be a pleasure to teach you about Altea!”

Shiro and Keith jump at the sudden sound of a voice not belonging to either of them. They turn in their seats and spot Coran standing in the doorway of the rec room, a handful of movies in his arms.

“Coran!” Shiro shouts in surprise.

“Are you sure, Coran? It wouldn’t make you upset or anything?” Keith asks.

Coran moves forward and places the movies on the table where the projector and T.V. stand. He turns to face them after a moment of silence and gives them a sad smile. “Talking about things is the best way to get over them. Altea will always be my home and I would love to have more people learn about our culture.”

Shiro smiles warmly at Coran. “Thank you, Coran. I’m sure it will be a great learning experience.”

“I will make sure of it!” Coran says enthusiastically.

“Now that that’s settled,” Keith starts, picking up a blanket and pillow for himself and moving from his spot next to Shiro to a more spacious one on the next couch over. “Can we get back to setting up for movie night? I’m sure the snacks will be ready soon.”

Shiro sends him a knowing look from the corner of his eye and smirks.

“Right, and I’m sure you’re really excited about the snacks and not just one person in particular.”

“I just really enjoy snacks, okay?” Keith says, a defensive edge to his tone.

After confessing his feelings about Lance to Shiro, he’d taken to teasing Keith about it in a way that only siblings could: by subtly bringing it up in conversations around other people. As crazy annoying as it could be sometimes, Keith was grateful that he had someone like Shiro in his life who he could speak to in confidence about these sorts of things - even if that meant enduring countless teasing remarks.

“Is snacks another nickname for your crush?” Shiro asks him casually. Keith narrows his eyes and seriously contemplates throwing yet another pillow at Shiro's face before he remembers how easily he had avoided the first one he had tried to him with.

“No!”

“Oh, is ‘snacks’ referring to Keith’s crush on Lance?” asks Coran.

“Yes,” Shiro replies happily.

“I knew it,” Coran says triumphantly, snapping his fingers and smiling wide. Shiro throws his head back and laughs at his movements.

“Quiznack,” Keith mumbles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know I said this chapter would be in Lance's POV but surprise! I'm indecisive and split it in two so you could have some broganes (+ Coran) moments! I'm thinking the next chapter will solely be in Lance's POV but I'm not too sure yet. I basically have all the dialogue written out already and now I just need to write out the rest! I'm hopeful I'll have it completed and ready to be uploaded by next Saturday but we'll see. 
> 
> Coming up in the next chapter: more fun and flirty Klance moments (including something very special *wink wink*) and some wholesome paladin bonding! 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> decided to upload this a day early since i had the time to edit and post!!
> 
> warning: fluff ahead

“Well, I gotta admit, Altean movies are quiznacking amazing,” Lance yawns loudly. “I mean, I couldn’t really understand much without the subtitles but wow.”

The team had just finished watching one of Altea’s most famous romantic dramas, _The Fall of the Universe,_ and they were spread out throughout the rec room. Shiro having taken over one end of the couch with Coran and Allura on the other end, both wrapped up in individual blankets. Pidge was laying stomach-down on the floor, closest to the T.V. and Hunk was sprawled on the middle couch by himself. Lance and Keith, meanwhile, were huddled close together on the couch opposite the one Shiro, Coran, and Allura were on. Keith had made room for Lance as soon as he walked through the door, and they had been glued together ever since.

Lance would be lying if he said his heart didn’t skip a beat at that simple gesture.

“It was surprisingly easy to get lost in the storytelling,” Shiro says. He was still wrapped up in a ridiculous looking cocoon but he seemed comfortable and with no intention of moving.

Hunk chimes in. “The romance between the rebel leader and the princess was unexpected, but it sure was satisfying towards the end when they finally got together.”

“Oh, yes,” Allura nods in agreement. “The ‘rivals to friends to lovers’ romance was all the rage back in Altea. I must admit, most of my favorite novels had that exact same trope. There is just something so appealing about it, don’t you agree?” She glances over at where Lance and Keith are sitting, not-so-subtly sending Lance a small smirk as she speaks.

“Yeah.”

Keith and Lance respond at the same time and look at one another. They were pressed together, one of Lance’s arms draped over Keith’s shoulders and fingers laced together with Keith’s, hidden underneath the covers. They had started out with two blankets originally but the second one had been long forgotten in favor of sharing a single blanket.

Pidge turns to look at them and raises an eyebrow at their position. “Hmm.”

“Interesting,” says Shiro.

“Quite,” Coran agrees, a teasing smile playing at his lips.

“What?” Keith asks.

Lance speaks up as well. “Yeah, why is everyone staring at us?”

“Oh, no reason,” Shiro sing-songs, shrugging his shoulders in a casual sort of way.

“You two just look very comfortable is all,” Allura smirks.

“In a totally not platonic way,” Hunk adds.

They’re all smiling and sending Lance and Keith knowing looks. Which, okay, Lance should have expected. By now, Keith had made it pretty obvious that he was harboring romantic feelings for Lance and Lance, well, his reactions to Keith’s flirting spoke volumes. Safe to say that everyone had picked up on what was going on between them. Which _of course_ meant that they had all begun to tease them because neither Keith nor Lance had made any moves to make _whatever this was_ official.

“Hunk, I cuddle with you all the time. You know I love being held,” Lance points out. Which was true. Hunk was a loving kind of guy and his hugs were legendary. It was only natural that Lance, someone so accustomed to casual displays of affection, were to seek out Hunk whenever he felt that desire.

Hunk tilts his head towards Lance with an accusatory look on his face. “And yet you haven’t asked me to sleep with you for a couple of weeks now.”

“Hmm, I wonder why?” Pidge asks sarcastically. She had fully turned herself over and now sat staring at the others with her head in her hands.

“It’s probably because Keith enjoys cradling him in his arms," Shiro teases.

Keith tenses up slightly and narrows his eyes. “I’ll stab you, don’t think I won’t.”

“I’m not afraid of you Akira.”

“Watch it, _Takashi_.”

“Oho, so we’re pulling out the real names now, are we?” Pidge laughs. “That’s fun.”

“Yeah, I guess so _Katie_ ,” Keith says snarkily.

“Pfft,” she scoffs with a shake of her head. “That name is old news.”

“Why are you being so quiet, _Leandro_?” Hunk pipes up.

Lance gasps in an overly dramatic way. “ _How dare_ -”

“Leandro? Is that your real name Lance?” Allura asks him.

“Indeed it is, my beautiful alien princess,” Lance croons. Now, just because Lance was in love with Keith _did not mean_ that he would stop his friendly flirting towards Allura. After all, it did make her laugh.

“So then why do you go by Lance?” Allura questions.

“I quite like the name, Leandro,” Coran remarks. “I believe it suits you, my boy.”

“I agree with Coran,” says Keith.

Shiro lifts an eyebrow in Keith’s direction and snorts, “Of course you do.”

Keith sends Shiro a quick glare to which he responds to with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

“I don’t really know,” Lance muses, his fingers tightening their hold on Keith’s hand. “I guess when I was accepted into the Garrison I felt a little weird having a name that was so obviously not English that I started to feel a little self-conscious. So, I convinced everyone to call me Lance instead of Leandro.”

Keith nods his head in agreement. “I get that. It’s kinda why I started to go by ‘Keith’ instead of ‘Akira’. Made things a little easier.”

“See, Keith gets it,” Lance says, flashing Keith a quick smile.

Hunk sits up and looks at the rest of the team. “My real name isn’t Hunk, just so you all know.”

“So, what is your real name then?” Pidge asks.

“Its Keona.”

“Why did you start going by ‘Hunk’ then?” Shiro asks.

Lance smiles mischievously at Hunk. “Just look at him.” He gestures towards Hunk with the aura of someone pointing out the obvious.

“What -”

“He’s a _hunk_ ," Lance sighs dreamily. “Little old me was intimidated by my roommate who was this big handsome dude who was also incredibly sweet, caring, affectionate, and _hot as hell_. I was crushing on him hardcore and one day I kinda blanked on his name and started calling him Hunk instead.”

“I still think you did it on purpose,” Hunk says with a simple shake of his head. “You’re not that bad with names.”

“Eh, whatever,” Lance waves him off. “Point is, the name stuck.”

Hunk just sighs but smiles warmly at Lance nonetheless. The others laugh as well, clearly amused.

Shiro is the first to rise, throwing the blanket off of himself and stretching his hands as high as they could go. “Well, it’s late. We should all head to sleep. Princess, Coran? Do you agree?”

“Yes!” Coran exclaims. “We have a full day of training ahead.”

Allura voices her agreement and stands up, pulling the blanket off of herself. She folds it neatly before taking it under her arm, picking up Coran’s blanket as well. He smiles at her and accepts the hand she offers to help stand him up.

“Sounds great.”

“Oh, it will be!” Pidge says excitedly, already up and moving towards the doors. “Coran, Hunk and I are working to improve the gladiators so they know more than the basic skills set they already had programmed into them.”

Allura follows after her and claps her hands eagerly. “Ooh, I can’t wait to test them out!”

Everyone shouts their good-bye’s and good night’s, and before long only Keith and Lance are left in the rec room. They had gotten up from their spot on the couch and moved away from each other, cleaning up after themselves.

“You’re not sleeping?” Keith asks. He was hovering by the door, blanket in hand and with one foot nearly out the door watching Lance as he folded his blanket and left it neatly stacked on the couch where they were sitting only moments before.

Lance shakes his head in response and walks to the doors. “Nah, I feel too awake.”

They both walk out of the rec room and into one of the many hallways of the castleship. It was nice and peaceful, the only sounds they heard were their own footsteps. Keith was quiet for a moment before speaking up again.

“What do you plan on doing then?”

“How about we head on over to the observation deck?”

Keith stops short and looks at Lance.

“Unless you wanted to-” Lance begins to backtrack but Keith interrupts him before he can get another word out.

“No! I mean, yes. I’ll join you,” Keith coughs awkwardly.

“Cool.”

“Cool.”

They’re quiet as they continue to walk to the observation deck. Their knuckles brush against each other as they walk but neither Keith nor Lance make a move to hold hands, instead, Lance hooks his pinky with Keith’s.

“You know, you’re really warm,” he says abruptly.

“What?” Keith asks.

“Yeah, you’re basically like a human furnace,” Lance explains. “When we were on the couch I thought you would spontaneously combust or something because-”

Keith interrupts him before he can finish his sentence. “Is that your way of inadvertently calling me hot?”

“Maybe,” Lance says shrewdly. “Don’t let it get to your head.”

“Too late. You think I’m hot.”

Lance shrugs. “Yeah, well, I’m only human. I see an attractive person and get all weak in the knees. Like with Hunk. Or Shiro. Or Rihanna. Or Jessica Alba. Or -”

“Okay, okay, I think I get it,” Keith laughs, interrupting him once more. “You think a lot of people are attractive.”

“I do. It’s one of the many perks of identifying as bisexual that I am attracted to a variety of people,” Lance remarks.

“And aliens too, come to think of it,” he adds as an after-thought.

“Like Allura. And Nyma. And the mermaid Plaxum -” Keith rattles off the names of all the aliens Lance has shown interest in before being interrupted by the blue paladin himself.

“And you.”

“Is that so?”

“You know it is.”

Lance gently bumps his shoulder against Keith’s as a show of affection. He bites back a smile as Keith does the same, though a bit more forcefully.

“Feels nice to hear you finally admit it.”

“Should I apologize for taking so long?”

“No. You can just make it up to me later.”

“Oh, you can count on that,” Lance says slyly.

Keith merely laughs. “Looking forward to it.”

Once they finally reach the entrance to the observation deck, Lance lets go of Keith’s pinky, setting his hand on the small of his back and leading him to their usual spot in front of the window.

“You know, you would really get along well with Rachel,” Lance says as he sits down. Keith follows suit, settling down next to him so that they maintain a constant point of contact.

“Why’s that?”

“You both live to mercilessly torment me,” Lance laughs. “Not to mention you both have the same sense of humor so you would probably have loads of fun together.”

“I will admit, I am most excited to meet her,” Keith comments. “That isn’t to say that I’m not excited to meet the rest of your family, but from the stories you’ve been telling me about her, Rachel reminds me of you. And well, we all know how I feel about...you know.”

“Yeah, I know.” Lance smiles warmly at Keith, who returns the smile as Lance starts speaking once more. “I think you’ll fit in just fine with the McClain’s. In fact, everyone on the team will be welcomed with open arms and will become honorary McClain’s. Coran is going to be the crazy uncle with the wildest and most unbelievable stories and Allura is going to be the goofy yet sophisticated aunt who everyone loves but is also secretly jealous of because she seems so perfect. Hunk is, of course, the beloved uncle that everyone agrees is an actual angel sent down from Heaven. Shiro could be the uncle who everyone thinks is super responsible but he’s actually the most fun-loving and goofy and Pidge is going to be the slightly awkward aunt that all the kids love because she’s always showing off her latest and greatest robotic inventions.” He slings an arm over Keith’s shoulders and kindly knocks his head against Keith’s. “Last, but certainly not least, you, my dear Keith, will be the super cool uncle that all the kids are going to look up to.”

Keith rests his head briefly on Lance’s shoulder. “I thought you would hold the title of super cool uncle.”

“Maybe we could both share the title then.”

“I’d like that,” Keith says with a soft smile.

Lance blushes. “Me too.”

“And, uh, thanks,” Keith stammers out clumsily. “For saying that we’ll all be considered family to you and the rest of the McClain’s when we finally reach Earth.” He lifts a hand to push his hair out of his face before taking a deep breath. “I haven’t - uh - had the most stable family dynamic considering my mom left me and my dad died. For a really long time, the only family figure I had in my life was Shiro - until he disappeared that is - and then Shiro introduced me to Adam and it was like - like I suddenly had all I had been missing all those years of being an orphan. Adam and Shiro were the two main constants in my life up until the Kerberos mission. Then I was on my own again, which really sucked because I had just gotten used to the idea of having a family before it was taken away from me. Now, years later, I look to each of you as members of my new found family and it makes me really happy. And the idea of expanding that family? It brings me more comfort than I could possibly say, so thank you, Lance. I really appreciate it.”

With watery eyes and his heart squeezing painfully in his chest, Lance manages to respond to Keith. “It is absolutely no problem at all, man. I care about you, a whole heck of a lot, and I just want to see you happy. Anything I could do to make you happy, I’ll do it. No hesitation.”

At his words, Keith reaches over and takes hold of Lance’s hands in a firm grip. He laces their fingers together slowly, maintaining eye contact and not once looking away. Lance, feeling overwhelmed by the look in Keith’s eyes, allows this to happen. Keith squeezes their interlocked hands, sending a tingle up Lance’s arm. It travels _up, up, up,_ and settles deep in his heart.

“Hey, do you know how to dance?” Lance asks suddenly.

“No, I’ve never had the chance to but I’m willing to learn if it means you’ll teach me.”

“Come on then.”

Lance stands and pulls Keith up by the hand, still gripping him tightly. He moves them away from the window and to the center of the deck to allow for more dancing room.

“There’s no music though,” Keith says.

“Worry not, _cariño_ ,” says Lance, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone, “for I have downloaded a whole bunch of songs onto this phone Pidge made me.”

Keith looks down at the screen while Lance fiddles with the phone, pulling up a music app and searching through an impressive music library. “I’m going to assume most of them are upbeat pop songs?”

“Only a few actually,” Lance clarifies. “My music taste is all over the place. I like to listen to different genres depending on the mood I’m in.”

“Makes sense.”

He finally settles on a song and presses play. “We’ll start off slow, is that alright with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.”

Lance places his free hand on Keith’s waist whilst Keith grips Lance’s shoulder with his hand. They sway to the music for a while, Lance showing Keith a few simple moves so that he is able to follow along without too much trouble. They dance to a few more songs, giggling when Keith missteps and they have to start over.

Soon both of Keith’s hands are settled at the nape of Lance’s neck, his head buried in the crook. Lance had moved his hands down to rest on Keith’s hips, swaying gently in tune with the beat of the song playing. The soft sounds of an acoustic guitar fill the air and Lance sighs dreamily, drawing Keith even closer.

_When I look into your eyes_

_It’s like watching the night sky_

_Or a beautiful sunrise_

_So much they hold_

Keith chuckles, his nose bumping against the column of Lance’s neck. “This song is so cheesy how can you like it?”

“I like it _because_ it’s so cheesy, mullet.”

_And just like them old stars_

_I see that you’ve come so far_

_To be right where you are_

“For someone who claims to be so annoyed by my hair, you never seem to shut up about it,” Keith says.

_How old is your soul?_

“I can’t help it that your hair is so distracting that it takes away the focus from literally everything else,” Lance explains.

Keith simply scoffs and shuffles his feet. “Whatever you say, Lance. Just admit you like my mullet.”

“That’s blasphemy, Keith.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously attractive.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

They fall into silence once more, taking in the music and the lyrics. Lance, unable to help himself, sings along quietly.

_I won’t give up on us_

_Even if the skies get rough_

_I’m giving you all my love_

_I’m still looking up_

Keith lifts his head, staring straight into Lance’s eyes. One of Lance’s hands comes up and he cups Keith’s face, his thumb softly caressing his cheek. He’s still singing as Keith closes his eyes and hums.

_And when you’re needing your space_

_To do some navigating_

_I’ll be here patiently waiting_

_To see what you find_

Lance swallows down the nervous lump in his throat, tipping his head forward until it’s resting against Keith’s forehead.

_Cos even the stars they burn_

_Some even fall to the earth_

_We got a lot to learn_

_God knows we’re worth it_

_No, I won’t give up_

“Lance…”

“Keith…”

“Kiss me.”

And so he does.

He presses his lips softly against Keith’s, who responds with the slightest increase of pressure. They separate after a few seconds but stay close, foreheads pressed together and breaths mingling as they exhale. Though the kiss was short, it was still enough to make Lance swoon and he was sure Keith felt the same, as his eyes were still closed. He cracks a small smile at that and moves his thumb in a soothing manner over Keith’s defined cheekbones.

“I’ve been wanting you to kiss me for the longest time.”

Keith’s quiet admission somehow seems to reverberate throughout the deck as if amplified by a speaker.

“Bet I’ve been waiting for longer.”

Lance watches on with thinly-veiled amusement as Keith lets out an exasperated huff at his words, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

“Do you seriously have to turn everything into a competition with us?” he asks, finally opening his eyes and gazing at Lance with the fondest look.

“Yes,” Lance says. “You look really hot when you’re in competition mode.” He winks and tries - and fails - to suppress a wide grin when a deep red flush graces Keith’s face. However, he gulps when he notices the dangerous twinkle in Keith’s eyes - a sure sign that he was about to say or do something that would make Lance glow red with embarrassment.

“You know what’s even hotter?”

Keith’s voice, sultry and oh so velvety smooth sends a shiver down Lance’s spine. He moves even closer until his nose bumps against Lance’s. His lips tease Lance, a few short centimeters away from touching his and it takes everything in Lance not to press forward and kiss the living daylights out of Keith.

“What?”

In lieu of an answer, Keith presses his lips firmly against Lance’s once more.

Their second kiss is a lot better than their first because now they are fully taking advantage of their feelings and allowing them to flow through their kiss. It was like a dam had been broken and all those emotions that were once held back had been released all at once.

The feel of Keith’s chapped lips against his own creates friction that has Lance yearning for _more, more, more_. The hand that was cupping Keith’s cheek moves to the back of his neck in an effort to keep him as close to Lance as possible. He moans when Keith decides to take the initiative and bite down softly on Lance’s lower lip then soothing it with a nice sweep of his tongue. Lance parts his lips to allow for an even deeper kiss and he holds onto Keith even tighter at the first flick of his tongue in his mouth. They stay like that for a while - exploring the depths of their kiss and their feelings.

Too soon - in Lance's opinion anyway - they are pulling away as the need for oxygen was becoming too great to ignore. Though they part they stay close enough for their breaths to mingle with each exhale.

“We should probably head to our rooms now,” Lance says breathlessly, reluctantly.

“Probably,” Keith replies, just as breathless, just as reluctant. “Or we could just keep making out.”

Lance eagerly agrees. “I like that idea better. Let’s do that instead.”

Keith smiles in that devilishly handsome way Lance has come to love and his heart swells with passion.

They smile into the kiss, taking their time as they are in no rush. The night belongs to them - and all the stars in the universe shine even brighter than before. Though none glow brighter than the love shared between Lance and Keith at that very moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they finally k i s s e d!! 
> 
> i am incapable of writing slowburn romances because i love love and keith and lance are so in love with each other it makes me tear up. also, i felt a little awkward writing that kissing scene so i hope it was okay lmfao
> 
> in the next chapter: a time skip (just a few weeks, nothing too major), more soft moments, quiet conversations in the night, and more kisses!!
> 
> as always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh hi there
> 
> i'm so sorry it's taken me /so/ long to update sjklsdklfd
> 
> life has been kicking my ass like u wouldn't believe and i lost like,,,all my motivation for writing for a short period of time and then when i finally got it back i was roundhouse-kicked in the face with finals and just school and life in general. but! i have officially finished my first year in college (cue celebratory music) and now have three entire months of free time (yaknow, until i find a job and such) soo!!! let's hope i'm able to finish this fic soon and put up the next two fics in this series before summer break is over!!

“You wanna come home to Cuba with me?”

Keith startles. “What?”

It’s the middle of the night cycle and they’re in Lance’s room, cuddling under one of his many blankets. Their legs were tangled together as were their hands, resting on Lance’s chest along with Keith’s head. He was half on top of Lance, but the blue paladin didn’t seem to mind. He had his arm wrapped around Keith’s waist, playing with the hem of his shirt.

Keith lifts his head and stares at his boyfriend, who it seems is actively avoiding looking at him.

“I mean,” Lance begins hesitantly, his hand halting from where it was rubbing soothing circles on Keith’s skin, “when we finally go back to Earth, it would be really nice to have you come home with me. And - I dunno - maybe stay there? With me?”

“Um - I - stay? In Cuba? With - with you?” Keith gulps nervously. And there’s a feeling of _something_ swelling up inside him, threatening to swallow him whole.

“Yeah?” Lance shifts himself up so he’s sitting with his back against the wall, letting Keith’s head slip down so it's resting on his lap instead. “Look, I know we’ve only been together for a couple of weeks but I already know that I want you in my life for a really, _really_ long time.” He reaches over to cup Keith’s face in his hands, his thumb caressing his cheek lovingly. “You make me really freaking happy. And I want to be selfish and keep you as close to me as possible. I don’t feel as homesick as I used to and it’s all because of you. You are my home away from home and I love you, Keith Kogane. I just -”

Keith cuts him off with a kiss.

Lance hums as Keith moves so he’s straddling his lap, knees coming to rest on either side of Lance’s hips. He gingerly reaches up to grasp Lance’s face in his hands, cradling it gently and pressing soft kisses against his lips. Lance’s hands find a spot on Keith’s hips, squeezing them with the rhythm of their kisses. Keith pulls away but keeps his forehead pressed to Lance’s. He takes a couple of deep breaths to catch his breath and his senses are overwhelmed with the presence of _Lance_.

“Is that an answer to my question,” Lance licks his lips, and his voice is hoarse from their make-out session, “or are you trying to let me down easy?”

Keith chuckles lowly. “ _That_ was because I wanted you to stop talking for a bit.”

“Ah, I see.” Lance’s fingers twitch against his skin. “So?”

With a sigh, Keith closes his eyes and tries to gather his thoughts. “I love you too,” he says finally. He opens his eyes and sees the bright and beautiful smile that had formed on Lance’s face. That smile is pressed to his own for another few minutes, and Keith isn’t ashamed to admit that he melts into it. He’d come to realize in the few weeks that they’ve been dating that Lance and his lips were dangerously addicting.

“Don’t keep me in the dark, Kogane,” Lance mumbles against his lips. “I’m still waiting for your response.”

Though a whisper, Keith could hear the love and longing in his words as clear as day. He sighs once more and kisses Lance one final time.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I’ll go to Cuba with you. I’ll come home with you.”

Lance beams, as radiant and as beautiful as the brightest star in the sky and Keith’s heart melts. Lance’s arms come up to wrap themselves around Keith’s waist and he tugs him as close as humanly possible, enveloping Keith in what was quite possibly the best hug he has ever had.

But maybe it was just because it was Lance’s arms around him, it was Lance’s laugh that he could hear and _feel_ from how closely they were pressed against one another.

It was Lance, his sharpshooter boyfriend with whom Keith was wholeheartedly in love with.

“You have no idea how much that means to me, _cariño_ ,” Lance says, with all the sweetness of a warm cup of honeyed tea in his voice.

Keith giggles, unable to hold back his joy at Lance’s reaction. He brushes Lance’s hair away from his face when he pulls back and presses a tender kiss to his forehead. “It means a lot to me that you’d even ask.”

“Of course I was going to ask!” Lance runs his hands down Keith’s sides. “Keith, I couldn’t even begin to _imagine_ leaving you behind! You’re the most important person in my life right now. To have you with me back home with my family would quite possibly make me the happiest person in the entire known universe and beyond.”

“You are such a sap, Lance McClain.”

“ _Tu tienes la culpa, tesoro. Me enamore de ti y ahora siempre quiero estar a tu lado_.”

“Can I assume that you just said something really sappy and romantic?”

Lance wiggles his eyebrows playfully, sending Keith into a fit of laughter. “Maybe.”

“God, I love you,” Keith sighs, leaning forward to kiss his boyfriend once more.

Just before their lips touch, Lance whispers, “I love you more,” and Keith is too preoccupied to try to refute that.

They spend the rest of the night in a dream-like haze, trading soft, love-filled kisses in between bursts of innocent laughter and tender words.

 

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

 

The next morning, Keith finds himself hanging out with Shiro and Allura on the training deck. He had walked in just as they had finished sparring and was invited to sit and talk with them.

“Coran was telling me that you were interested in learning more about Altea,” Allura says to Shiro, passing him a water pouch. Though they had clearly been training for a while, she had barely broken a sweat. Shiro, on the other hand, had worked up quite the sweat and was frantically fanning himself with his hand.

“Yeah,” Shiro takes a quick sip of the water pouch, “I feel guilty that in all the time we've been out here in space, we haven’t actually taken the initiative to ask either of you more about your home planet - especially since we’ve taught you quite a bit of our lives back on Earth.”

Allura nods, a thoughtful look on her face. She was leaning against the wall, one hand on her hip and the other gripping a water pouch tightly.

“I know for me personally, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable by bringing up the home you had lost,” Keith reveals. He shuffles his feet awkwardly as Allura stares at him. “But it would be really nice to have you teach us about what life was like on Altea.”

Allura sighs. “I think that’s a great idea.” She smiles softly, glancing at the floor before raising her head and standing up tall. “Altea was beautiful - and I don’t just mean the landscape. It was a place where anyone and everyone could feel at home. My father worked hard to make Altea a peaceful place to live and my mother helped him as best she could. The people were lively and spirited - they took pride in their homes and always made sure to welcome any stranger into their space. Alteans were very welcoming. Had it not been destroyed, you would have all been welcomed with open arms.” She stops and a sad look crosses on her face.

“It sounds like it was quite the place,” Shiro says softly, reaching out to pat Allura on the arm. She places her hand atop his and flashes him a grateful smile.

“Truly, it was.”

They’re all quiet for a moment, and Keith lets his wander to the night before when he and Lance were talking about Cuba. A smile slowly creeps onto his face when he remembers the expression on Lance’s face when Keith told him that he loved him and would absolutely go to Cuba - would go _home_ \- with him.

“What’s got you so smiley so early in the day?” Shiro asks him, eyebrow raised and glancing at him suspiciously.

Keith feels giddy with excitement and tries to keep his voice calm when he says, “Lance. He asked me to go to Cuba with him. To go _home_ and stay there with him and his family when we finally go back to Earth.”

“Oh, Keith!” Allura gasps. “That’s such wonderful news! Did you say yes?”

“I did.”

She claps her hands excitedly and beams at him. He returns the smile and looks to Shiro.

“I’m happy for you little brother.” Shiro reaches over to ruffle his hair affectionately, like how he used to do back when they first met at the Garrison.

“Thanks,” Keith says. “Yeah, I feel like I’ve finally found the person I’m meant to be with, you know? He makes me really happy and I just - I love him. _So much_.”

Allura coos and Keith chuckles, his face heating up. He looks over at Shiro and frowns when he sees the sad look on his brother’s face.

“You okay Shiro?”

“Hm?” Shiro hums. “Yeah, I’m - I’m fine. It’s just - what you said about ‘finding the person you’re meant to be with’. Well, it got me thinking about - about Adam.” He lets out a shaky exhale and looks down at his feet.

“Who is Adam?” Allura asks.  

Shiro takes a deep breath before responding to her. “Adam was my fiance - or, _ex-_ fiance actually. He ended things just before I left for the Kerberos mission and it was - well, it wasn’t great.”

“Oh, Shiro, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he shakes his head, “it’s just - I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with him but that didn’t - and isn’t - going to happen.”

Keith’s heart clenches uncomfortably in his chest. He knew just how painful it was for Shiro to bring up Adam in conversations and he was almost sorry for saying what he had said. But he also knew that it was time for him to tell Shiro about what he had seen the last time he had spent time with Adam.

“He kept the rings,” Keith blurts out.

“What?” Shiro asks, shock written all over his face.

“Adam. He kept the rings. They’re in a little wooden box that’s filled with pictures of you. He keeps it inside the drawer next to his bed and when he can’t sleep, he takes it out and looks at it. He still loves you.”

Keith raises a hand as Shiro begins to open his mouth. “No Shiro, I’m serious. When he heard about the mission he went out to find me. _On your bike._  He drove us out to the desert so we could sit and talk. After that, he took me back to his place and we cooked dinner - just like how the three of used to do. And it was really nice. We sat and talked for a while and when he went to the bathroom I snooped around for a bit and I found it. When he saw me looking at it, he didn’t get mad. He just gave me this really sad smile and explained why he had it. He said it was because he never stopped loving you and this was his own way of keeping your memory alive. He still loves you, Shiro. He hasn’t stopped,” Keith finishes determinedly and takes a deep breath.

Shiro is quiet, presumably taking in what Keith had just told him. He covers his face with his hands and stays like that for a few seconds.

“He sounds like a wonderful man,” Allura says softly. She had moved around to place an arm around Shiro’s shoulders, caressing him in a comforting manner.

“He is.” Shiro takes his hands away from his face and looks at her. “I’m lucky to have had him in my life for as long as I did.”

“And he’s lucky to have had you as well,” Allura tells him. Keith nods his head in agreement and smiles at his brother.

“Thank you guys,” Shiro says, “I’m going to head back to my room to shower and maybe take a nap.” He stands and flashes them both a small smile, ruffling Keith’s hair once more as he walks away.

Keith looks over at Allura. She had not moved from where she had been standing and was working on finishing her water pouch. His mouth opens before he can second-guess himself.

“Do you want to go to the kitchen so we can eat and maybe you can tell me more about Altea?”

Allura slowly lowers her water pouch and smiles. “That would be wonderful.” There's a happy twinkle in her eyes and Keith feels a rush of pride that he had been able to make that happen.

Keith smiles at her and together they make their way out of the training room and into the kitchen, where they spend the rest of the morning eating, talking, and getting closer as friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short, fluffy, romantic and full of love. also hints of *adam* and yaknow,,,,he might be making an appearance in the next chapter,,,,,*wink wink*. and! a short look into the formation of a keith + allura friendship that will definitely be explored more in the fics that follow!!
> 
> next chapter is sadly the last chapter :((( but!! i'm planning on making it extra long as it is an epilogue that will include a significant time skip!! 
> 
> hope u all enjoyed this ridiculously short chapter sjldsjfk but i promise i'll make it up with the next one!!
> 
> comments and kudos are always appreciated :))<3
> 
> ((p.s. u can find me on tumblr/insta as @latinxgxddxss !!))


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